Terror Attack on Foreign Associations in Kirkuk

A large number of leaflets has been scattered throughout Kirkuk, the city in northern Iraq where Korean combat troops are scheduled to be stationed, with a message threatening the parties, foreign agencies, and Islamic monasteries not to cooperate with the coalition forces. In fact, some of them have already been attacked, stirring up anxieties.

The non-governmental relief association, Iraq Human Right Council, announced on January 10, “Despite our concentration on humanitarian relief activities, we have received the leaflets three times since December 2003 which has threatened us saying ‘If you cooperate with the coalition forces, you shall die.’”

The parties, including Iraq National Council (INC), Iraq Turkish Frontier (ITF) and the U.S.-based relief association, RTI, have actually been attacked with rocket propelled grenades.

As the U.S. forces undergo a large scale sweeping operation around Tikrit and Samarra, it has been informed that insurgent forces have moved to Kirkuk in order to recover from their damages.